GSA names ombudsman to give industry a louder voice

Listen to Jason Miller's interview with Jeff Koses.

A new procurement ombudsman aims to close the communications gap between the
General Services Administration and its vendors.

The ombudsman, Millisa Gary, is one of several ways GSA is trying to be more
responsive to its government and industry customers.

"Her role is to indeed be a voice for industry, make sure we are hearing their
concerns and helping an industry partner in navigating our bureaucracy," said Jeff
Koses, GSA's senior procurement executive, in an exclusive interview with Federal
News Radio. "Not necessarily to resolve the issue but to get them a fair hearing
and to get them in front of the right audience. Often as we are pursuing best
value and pursuing savings, the value of industry conversations can't be
overstated."

Koses, who took over as senior procurement executive in January after spending the
last six years as the director of acquisition operations for the General Supplies
and Services portfolio at GSA's Federal Acquisition Service, is making changes
such as naming an ombudsman part of the agency's key initiatives to improve
supplier and customer relations.

Tom Sharpe, the FAS commissioner, said among his top 10 priorities is to improve
supplier/vendor satisfaction, to increase customer savings and to increase
customer loyalty.

Sharpe said his ultimate goal is to increase FAS' share of
the addressable spend across government to 66 percent. Currently, agencies spend
between 15 and 17 percent of the government's procurement budget with FAS.

But before he can do that, GSA must improve some specific areas through opening a
clearer and more transparent communications process with industry.

Koses said many times the failures of the government can be traced back to poor
requirements definitions, which is one of those specific areas GSA is trying to
address through a series of initiatives.

Tie challenges to training opportunities

Koses said the ombudsman role is something industry asked for, and naming Gary was
one of the first things he did as SPE.

"Millisa's role is to meet with industry and take that feedback and translate that
for our workforce," he said. "So, for example, if she's hearing of a weakness in
the debriefing process — a common complaint — she identifies that, she
helps us
identify the training that's needed internally to reinforce that. If we have a
contractor raising a specific concern, she will give voice to it. She'll make sure
we actually thoroughly discuss it, give it fair hearing and help us to reach a
fair resolution."

Three industry associations recommended a schedule
ombudsman, not necessarily one for all of GSA, as part of the changes the
agency should consider after a June 2013 inspector general report found improper
management interference during schedule contract negotiations.

Whether having an ombudsman across all of GSA will address schedule challenges is
unclear, but Koses said having ongoing conversations more broadly about vendor
concerns will help GSA meet its short and long-term goals.

In addition to the ombudsman role, Koses is conducting two surveys of supplier
perceptions.

FAS is asking for feedback and comments from contractors on how they perceive the
organization.

A second survey is broader to a specific target vendor population, which includes
both successful and unsuccessful companies in winning contracts.

"To be able to have dialogue, did you see a fair process? Were the requirements
clear? Was there an open opportunity for exchange of ideas throughout the
process?" Koses said. "Gaining a better handle on those perceptions, we believe,
will help us continually improve the procurement process, and drive toward a
potential for a closer partnership and thus greater taxpayer savings."

Koses said the first survey went out in late March, and the results should be
analyzed by late summer to identify areas that need improvement.

GSA still is formulating the second survey, but Koses hopes to release it to the
select audience in mid-May.

"What we do want to do is share the results," he said. "We have been trying to
promote transparency in a host of ways. We've been using our Interact tool to try
and really further engagement, and bring more businesses into the dialogue. We're
also trying to figure out how do we reach non-traditional government sources and
make them part of the conversation. We will make the survey results available
through the GSA Interact because we are trying to make that more and more our
communication platform to the rest of the world."

All-hands meeting

Koses said his focus isn't only on vendors, but also on improving GSA's
acquisition workforce.